Frozen ATPL

[your_dreamguy]

Can someone give a good explanation on what a frozen ATPL is?

Thank you.

[Rollingthunder]

FROZEN ATPL - a Frozen ATPL is for pilots who do not yet have the Flying Experience Level required to have the full ATPL Licence but in the meantime have successfully passed all of the JAA ATPL Exams. This is an important qualification to have for those new pilots with few hours of experience, as it shows potential employers that you are serious about your career in aviation. Also many employers and airlines can employ pilots in the right hand seat as First officers provided they have as a minimum a Frozen ATPL Licence. If you can secure a flying job at this point, it will not take long to get the experience level to switch your licence over to the JAA ATPL.

[zerouali]

CPL with IR and MCC, plus all 14 ATPL exams. Once you have 1500 hours, your licence is "unfrozen", and you are issued a full ATPL. Here are the requirements from LASORS :

G1.1 JAR-FCL ATPL (A) GENERAL
INFORMATION
Privileges
Details of licence privileges can be found in
Schedule 8 of the Air Navigation Order, (please
refer to Section A, Appendix F).
Minimum Age
An applicant for a JAR-FCL ATPL(A) shall be at least
21 years of age.
Licence Validity
The JAR-FCL ATPL(A) will be issued for a maximum
period of 5 years.
G1.2 FLYING EXPERIENCE
REQUIREMENTS FOR JAR-FCL
ATPL(A)
The holder of a UK national CPL(A) should refer to
Section A10.1 for details of the requirements to
‘upgrade’ to a JAR-FCL ATPL (A).
An applicant for a JAR-FCL ATPL(A) shall have
completed as a pilot of aeroplanes at least 1500
hours of flight time (see G1.2 Notes). This must
include the particular requirements specified in a,
b, c, d & e below. Each of these requirements
must be met in full but, hours may be credited,
where appropriate, towards more than one
requirement except where stated otherwise.
a) (i) 500 hours Multi-Pilot operations on
aeroplanes type certificated in accordance
with the JAR/FAR-25 Transport Category
or the JAR/FAR-23 Commuter Category
or equivalent code, or single-pilot
aeroplanes operated by 2-pilots according
to operational requirements.
b) (i) 250 hours Pilot-in-Command (PIC) of
Aeroplanes, can include (ii);
(ii) 150 hours (max) Co-Pilot performing under
the supervision of the Pilot-in-Command
the duties and functions of a
Pilot-in-Command (PIC/US).
c) (i) 200 hours Cross-country flight time, must
include;
(ii) 100 hours Pilot-in-Command (PIC) or
Co-Pilot performing under the supervision
of the Pilot-in-Command the duties and
functions of a Pilot-in-Command (PIC U/S)
of Aeroplanes.
d) (i) 75 hours Instrument time, can include (ii);
(ii) 30 hours (max) Instrument Ground Time.
e) (i) 100 hours Night flight as Pilot-in-Command
(PIC) or as Co-Pilot (PIC/US or P2)

[Tinstaafl]

It's a marketing term / shorthand for holding a CPL, IR & passes in the ATPL exams. Only really used in JAR land or similarly aligned jurisdictions because the ATPL is able to be issued as soon as the minimum experience requirements are met ie no further testing is required.

Doesn't apply in the US since they require a flight test for the issue of their ATP.

Occasionally used in Oz by marketing types trying to impress potential customers. There the convention is to refer to holding a CPL, IR & ATPL passes because there's a large amount of commercial flying that doesn't require an IR & the ATPL exams are additional to the CPL ones.

[Pilot Pete]

Rollingthunder

Also many employers and airlines can employ pilots in the right hand seat as First officers provided they have as a minimum a Frozen ATPL Licence.

Someone will I am sure correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that employers can employ you in the right hand seat without a frozen ATPL and just a CPL.....that certainly used to be the case with CAA licences, unless they have stopped running CPL exams under JAR? I'm sure I read somewhere on these pages that it is still possible to do JAR CPL exams.

So technically you could be employed, but in reality they will require you to have the ATPL exams as well, hence a frozen ATPL as you will need this to move to the left seat (unfrozen obviously) and airlines employ future captains, not F/Os..................!!

PP

[Engine overtemp]

That used to be the case PP but you now require at least a frozen ATPL to fly RHS on commercial aircraft above a certain weight (Can't remember what the weight is but certainly includes 737's, A320's and the like).
If you have not got a frozen ATPL but were employed before this ruling, you can continue to fly as a F/O with "grandfather rights".

[Pilot Pete]

There you go, told you someone would correct me...........!

Thanks EO, best I crawl back out of here now.........

PP